Post-office separating-case.



No. 880,132. PATENTED FEB.'25, 1908. M. EWING.

POST OFFICE SEPARATING CASE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 16, 1907.

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MALIN EWING OF SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA.

POST- OFFICE SEPARATING-CABE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed March 16. 1907- Sorial No. 3623749.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MALIN EWING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sharon, in the county of Mercer and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Post-Oifice Separating-Cases, 'of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to ost-oflice se arating cases, such as are use in distributing a mass of mail matter at a post-office into distinct lots, each of which oes into the hands of a difierent carrier for further distribution to the addressees.

The object of my invention is to produce improvements in separating cases, whereby the initial distribution'of the mail matter to the carriers is greatly facilitated; and my improvements are such as to simplicity and adaptability that they may be w1th advantage added to the ordinary cases already in use.

To the above and other ends, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the elements, combinations and arrangements of parts, all as. will be hereinafter set forth, and succinctly defined in the annexed claims.

Referring to the accompanyin drawings, which are to be taken as apart 0 this specification, and wherein I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a separating case embodying my invention, showing in dotted lines the position of the slidable receptacles, and one of said receptacles partly removed; Fig. 2 is a front perspective of one of said receptacles removed from the case; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a receptacle removed from the case; Fig. 4 is a top view of the same; and Fig. 5 is a rear perspective of one of the receptacles.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates a separating table such as is in common use, having a railed top whereon the mail matter to be sorted is first placed.

2 indicates a pigeon-holed case, divided by partitions 3 which slant downwardly from the front of the case, into a series of spaces adapted to contain the race tacles' presently to be mentioned. I have siiown in Fig. 1 a

series of three such spaces from top to bot-- tom of the case, but it is to be understood that there may be a plurality of such vertical series ,arran ed slde by side along the length .of the talfi use of properly positioned vertical partitions.

tacle with its contained mail matter.

6, this involving simply the 4 indicates the receptacles intended to be usediin connection with my invention, comprisinga box open at the top and one end, and adapted to slidably fit within the space defined etween the partitions constituting a pigeon hole. As shown, the open end of the receptacle is adjacent to the inner face of the pigeon-hole case, and when the receptacle is in position its rear wall forms a part of the rear of the case, the floor of the receptacle slanting downwardly from the front of the case in conformity with the slant of the partitions 3. The rear or closed end of the recepacle is preferably provided with a screen 5, to provide visual access to the interior of the receptacle when it is in place in the case. There is also provided a handle 6 for manipulation of the receptacle, and a. spring-latch 8 which takes into a notch in the partition above the receptacle, whereby the receptacle is held removably in position in the case. The receptacle may be of any preferred and suitable material, and is best provided with a brace across its open top, as indicated at 7.

In operation, mail matter is first deposited upon the table 1, and there sorted by a clerk, who throws it into one. of the receptacles 4, which are all in their proper places in the pigeon-hole case. Since he must perforce face the mail in order to determine into which receptacle it shall go, it-follows that the mail matter in each receptacle will be in its faced position if the clerk throws it in as he reads it. Now, supposin a receptacle to be full, the carrier having 0 arge of mail deposited in that receptacle has simply to unfasten the latch 8, and withdraw the recep- If now he removes this to his individual separating table, he may slide the mail matter out of the box onto the table, and it willbe properly faced and a raiting his further attention,

without putting him to the. necessity of' facing it all over again. In the separating cases now in use, where there is simply a door at the rear of each carrier's pigeon-hole,

he must take out a hand-full of mail at a the latter; and the advantages of this device I from front to rear thereof, said receptacles are too apparent to require further comment. I being closed at their back ends and open at It is evident, of course, that when not the ends ad'acent said table and means for actually in their places in the case, the recepholding sai receptacles in place within said 15 5 taeles are useful in themselves as receptacles, pi eon-hole case. 7 and may be carried about. n testimony whereof I affix my signature \Vhat 1 claim is: in presence of two witnesses. In a device of the kind described, the com- MALIN EWING bination of a table, apigeon-hole case thereon Witnesses: 10 open from front to rear, removable recep- J. H. ELLIOTT,

taeles in said pigeon-hole case extending W. W. SERVICE. 

